How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Oh, no, you couldn't," said Annika, "he's the strongest man in the world."
"Man, yes," said Pippi, "but I am the strongest girl in the world, remember that." (7.54-55)
In the world of Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl beats the strongest man every time. Of course, what's really interesting here is that it's Annika who Pippi has to remind of this. Annika, being a girl, is quite used to having boys and men be stronger than she is—but Pippi, who is also a girl, is not. And that's kind of cool.
Quote #8
"That must be the girl," whispered Thunder-Karlsson to Bloom. "And no doubt she sleeps soundly. But where in the world is Nilsson, do you suppose?" (8.23)
The burglars, like so many others before them, underestimate Pippi because she's a little girl. The one they're worried about is Mr. Nilsson, who—because of the Mr. in front of his name—they assume is the "man of the house." Little do they know that Mr. Nilsson is actually the monkey of the house, and it's the little girl (ahem, the strongest girl in the world) with whom they should be concerned.
Quote #9
Pippi stretched her legs out in front of her and placed the plate of cakes between her toes. Then she merrily dunked cakes in her coffee cup and stuffed so many in her mouth at once that she couldn't have uttered a word no matter how hard she tried. […] The ladies looked disapprovingly at her, but that didn't bother her. (9.22)
You don't need to be Miss Manners to realize that Pippi's behavior at the ladies' coffee party is a bit off the mark when it comes to proper etiquette. Of course, she's not bothered by the ladies' disapproving looks yet—mainly because she hasn't noticed that she's not blending in. When she does, she actually tears up. Being ladylike—at least the way society has defined it—doesn't work for Pippi, and this scene points out one more way Pippi doesn't fit into a traditional gender role.